Birmingham-raised pop star Simon Webbe has revealed he was struggling with depression when he got the call to join Strictly Come Dancing - and had thought about suicide.

The singer, 36, said he realised he was suffering from depression after his band, Blue, ended a run of shows in 2013, including a stint on the ITV programme The Big Reunion.

He was also declared bankrupt in 2013 following property losses and revealed he would sit at home drinking a bottle of brandy a day.

Former Birmingham schoolboy Webbe said: “I didn’t leave the house for weeks on end except to buy bread or milk. I hated who I was and started questioning my whole life. I was really depressed.

“I never attempted suicide but I thought about it. I turned mirrors round so I didn’t have to look at myself. I didn’t want to be here, didn’t want to be a part of anything. I wanted to black out.”

Webbe said he asked his band mates for help after he woke up after a performance in Kazakhstan with bruises on his face but no memories of where he was.

“I said to the boys, ‘I need to talk to you’. I said I didn’t want to be here any more,” he revealed.

“I didn’t feel myself. And they were there for me. Lee (Ryan) was saying, ‘Something good is going to happen to you - I can feel it’. A few weeks later I got the call from Strictly and everything changed.”

Webbe, who is partnered with Kristina Rihanoff, said he decided to explain that he was “okay but working through some things” as fans had said he lacked his usual spark and confidence during the dance show.